The helmer has a brief history with the Marvel comics franchise – he reportedly walked away from "X-Men: The Last Stand" after a deal was on the table. (Brett Ratner went on to direct the film.)

Matthew's latest turn in the director's chair, last month's comic book-based "Kick-Ass," has earned $68 million worldwide on a reported $30 million budget.

The "X-Men" prequel, set to focus on the early days of the mutant superhero team and based on the comic book series of the same name, has gone through a number of shake-ups since development began in late 2008.

In November 2008, Variety reported that "Gossip Girl" and "Chuck" creator Josh Schwartz would script the film, but news came a year later that Jamie Moss ("Street Kings") was the current writer.

Bryan Singer, who directed "X-Men" and "X2," was initially set to direct but backed out due to scheduling conflicts with his latest effort, "Jack the Giant Killer" – instead, he will serve as a producer on the film.